Back to School Tips to Get the Best Buys and Save

It’s time for that yearly journey to get back to school supplies and clothes. With all the great deals offered at the store, you might be tempted to buy clothing to carry your child through to spring. Fight that urge! You’ll just end up spending more money and wind up with clothes that don’t fit properly or at all. Try these tips to get the best buys for the new school year.

1. Only get one or two special outfits for the first day of school. You just don’t need a new outfit for each day of school.

2. Make a buying calendar for clothing. Figure out what is absolutely necessary for clothing and figure out the best times to buy. Sweaters are best purchased after the season because they’ll be cheaper that way. You can split up your purchases to use them as gifts for birthdays and holidays. This way it will help fill out your gift giving and you’ll also save money by not buying everything all at once.

3. Consider buying at consignment shops and even selling clothing that your children have outgrown.

4. Remember, the kids are going to keep growing. Buying for the whole year could leave you with clothes never worn because your child had a growth spurt you were not anticipating.

5. Swap clothes. If you have friends with kids a little older and a little younger than your own, then work out a clothing swap with them. You can do this at the change of each season even, to keep rotating the clothes out of the house.

6. Wait until after Labor Day to shop. Those back to school sales aren’t as great as they might seem. It’s great for school supplies, if you need to stock up on glue and crayons, but clothes not so much. So wait until after Labor Day to get the savings.

7. Buy clothes that can be worn during many seasons. A nice polo shirt can be worn under a long sleeve shirt in the colder months. A summer dress paired with some leggings will get extra wears.

8. Numerous mix ‘n match outfits can take one outfit and turn it into ten different looks. This will ultimately save you money while helping your kids remain in style and fresh so they aren’t perceived as wearing the same clothes every day.

9. Shop those clearance racks. Snatch up that out-of-season sweater in a size up from what your child is currently wearing to make sure you get extra wears out of it.

10. Don’t forget about the thrift shops. You can get some nice high end items very cheaply, to help fill in any wardrobe to make it through the entire year in style.

Back to school shopping is often a cause for anxiety and can really break the piggy bank if not done right. But if you plan things out and shop sales, you’ll get the best back to school buys.